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So we’ve got a series after all.

A change of scenery and return home helped the Florida Panthers recapture their mojo as the No. 8 seed in the East got on the board with a 3-2 overtime win to pull within 2-1 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.

Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk scored with 2:13 remaining in regulation to force overtime, then Carter Verhaeghe struck at 4:27 of the extra period to win it.

What did we learn in Game 3? What can the Panthers take forward to tighten things even further and how can the Golden Knights strengthen their position?

ESPN reporters Kristen Shilton, Ryan S. Clark, Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan check in with their takeaways from Game 3:


Help from the back end

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Brandon Montour goes top shelf to the give the Panthers an early lead

Brandon Montour zips it top shelf for the score as the Panthers take an early 1-0 lead against the Golden Knights.

Florida absolutely needed its defense to start contributing offensively. Brandon Montour got things rolling with a quick strike in Game 3. Vegas had three goals from its blueliners going into the night while the Panthers had zero (and, well, the whole team had only four total). Montour delivered five goals in Florida’s come-from-behind first-round series win over Boston, but hadn’t lit the lamp since Game 1 of the second round against Toronto.

Montour said Wednesday he felt the chances were coming and would multiply from there when they did. The new dad made good on his word with the opening salvo in Game 3. It was what the Panthers needed on all fronts — their back end getting involved upfront, Montour appearing on the score sheet after a 10-game pointless drought and Florida grabbing an early lead. — Shilton


Bob is just fine

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Sergei Bobrovsky makes a great sequence of saves for the Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky makes a string of impressive saves as the Panthers keep it even at 1-1.

If there was a question mark about goaltending entering Game 3 — after Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled in Game 2, following his fourth goal allowed and eighth in the young series — Panthers coach Paul Maurice didn’t want to hear it. Maurice accused reporters of inventing stories because they had too much time on their hands with an additional off-day as the series shifted to Florida. He also reminded the media that 48 hours prior, many were wondering if it was possible to split the Conn Smythe — for playoff MVP — between Bobrovsky and Matthew Tkachuk.

So no, the Panthers weren’t turning away from the guy who got them to this point, the highest-paid goalie in the league. Bobrovsky rewarded that faith with an overall sound performance. He made some especially strong saves to keep the score at 1-1 in the second period. Florida wasn’t going to get a better performance from backup Alex Lyon, who hadn’t started a game since April 21 in the first round against Boston. — Kaplan


Marchessault marches on

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Jonathan Marchessault stays hot with a power-play goal

Jack Eichel makes a pinpoint pass to Jonathan Marchessault for the power-play goal as the Golden Knights lead 2-1.

It’s generally at least a little funny when the “Vegas franchise record!” tag gets thrown around because, you know, the Golden Knights have existed for only six years. Nevertheless, Jonathan Marchessault continuing his incredible postseason with a franchise-record eight-game postseason point streak is impressive. Marchessault assisted on Mark Stone‘s power-play goal in the first, and added to his success with a second-period score, his 13th of the playoffs. That made him the third player in the past 35 years to score in each of the first three games of a Cup Final (along with Steve Yzerman and Jake Guentzel).

Marchessault appears to have caught the hockey world by surprise with his playoff prowess and being able to etch a permanent mark on the books is a worthy reward for the forward’s efforts. There’s no doubt that Marchessault’s production will continue to be a significant factor in the Golden Knights’ success as the series carries on. — Shilton


A Conn-vincing argument

Call him Conn-athan Marchessault. The Vegas forward finished Game 3 with the team lead in goals and points. Mark Stone’s 4-on-3 power-play goal came on a Marchessault pass from the blue line. Marchessault’s second-period power-play tally gave the Golden Knights the lead. It was his ninth goal on the road in the playoffs and the fifth straight road game in which he tallied a goal. The sportsbooks have made him the wagering favorite for the Conn Smythe and for good reason: The Vegas forward went from two points in his first seven playoff games to becoming the pacesetter for a team two wins away from the Stanley Cup. — Wyshynski


Vegas’ super power …

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Mark Stone’s power-play goal ties it up for Vegas

Mark Stone scores on the power play as the Golden Knights tie it up 1-1 vs. the Panthers.

Vegas’ consistency on special teams has been a game-changer in this series. The Golden Knights had two power-play opportunities in the first period alone and Mark Stone capitalized on a 4-on-3 chance late in the frame to deflate what had been a pretty solid start all around for Florida.

Vegas had been on its heels for plenty of the first period as Florida made it difficult for the Golden Knights to even complete a breakout pass. But what has separated Vegas from the Panthers — and may well continue to do so — is making the most of what’s given to them. The Knights’ red-hot power play is a great example of how quickly a momentum shift can happen when the stakes are this high. — Shilton


… and Florida’s prolonged outage

Three shots on goal. That’s all the Panthers’ power play was able to muster in their first three chances in Game 3. For all the items that have proved to be an issue for the Panthers in the Cup Final, a lack of power-play production has been chief among them. A lack of shots compounds how the man-advantage went from a plus on Florida’s road to the finals only to become a serious issue in the bid to win the first title in franchise history.

The Panthers were 0-for-3 going into the third period. In total? The Panthers are 0-for-10 on the power play in the series. That’s a jarring revelation for a team that finished with the No. 10 power play in the regular season and had a 27.9% postseason success rate coming into the series.

Another statistic that amplifies the Panthers’ struggles: The Golden Knights were 14th out of the 16 teams that reached the postseason on the penalty kill with a 63% success rate before facing the Panthers. — Clark


Tough enough

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Matthew Tkachuk heads to the locker room after big hit

Matthew Tkachuk heads off the ice after taking a big hit from Keegan Kolesar in the first period of Game 3.

The parallels between Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk have been well-documented in this series. Two U.S.-born superstars, acquired from the teams that originally drafted them, who had transformative effects on the Golden Knights and Panthers, respectively. They’re scoring leaders for their teams, they play with swagger. Two sides of the same coin.

That extends to the physical punishment they’ve taken in the series. Recall in Game 2 when Eichel attempted to skate up ice with the puck and ended up getting obliterated by Tkachuk on a check. Eichel skated off to the concern of fans and teammates. But he returned the following period and assisted on a goal.

Just 5:54 into the first period of Game 3, Tkachuk received a pass in his own zone near the blue line. As he turned up ice, a streaking Keegan Kolesar put his shoulder into Tkachuk, knocking the Panthers star to the ice. When Tkachuk returned to the Panthers bench, he was looked at by a team trainer. He returned for a shift during a Panthers power play, but then left the ice and the bench for the rest of the period. He didn’t come out for the start of the second period, but eventually returned and skated regular shifts, while enduring punishment from Knights defenders.

In both cases, the toughness of these two pacesetting superstars was Cup-worthy. — Wyshynski


Sizing things up

Given what Marchessault is doing and the fact that the NHL draft is later this month, this seems like a good time to reignite the conversation around size. Watching a 5-foot-9 man on skates fly around and terrorize a team that used to employ him makes for interesting theater. But it also raises a question about the importance of size.

Look at this year’s Cup Final. Elite Prospects lists the Golden Knights as the NHL’s fifth-tallest team while the Panthers rank 29th. They’re evidence that teams can have contrasting size yet still be in a position to compete for the championship.

Now consider this year’s top prospects. Connor Bedard, the presumed No. 1 pick, stands about 5-10. Matvei Michkov, who is expected to be a top-three pick, also is listed at 5-10. Will Smith, who has a chance to be a top-five pick, is just under 6 feet. Those three along with Ryan Leonard, Gabriel Perreault, Brayden Yager, Zach Benson and Oliver Moore are all examples of top forwards in this year’s draft class who have been listed at 5-11 or shorter. — Clark

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Sources: Tkachuk dodges discipline, will play G4

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Sources: Tkachuk dodges discipline, will play G4

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk will not receive supplemental discipline for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Geuntzel in Game 3, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

Tkachuk’s hit, in the third period of his team’s 5-1 loss, received a five-minute major. According to sources, the NHL Department of Player Safety determined that was enough, considering Guentzel had recently touched the puck and Tkachuk didn’t make contact with Guentzel’s head.

The department also believed that the force in which Tkachuk hit Guentzel was far lesser than the hit Tampa’s Brandon Hagel made on Florida captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2, which earned Hagel a one game suspension.

The plays led both coaches to trade jabs in the media. After Barkov went down in Game 2, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said: “The only players we hit are the one with pucks.”

Barkov missed the end of the third period, but played in Game 3. Game 4 is Monday at Amerant Bank Arena.

At his postgame press conference, following Tkachuk’s hit on Guentzel, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper deadpanned the exact same line as Maurice.

Tkachuk leads the series in scoring with three goals and an assist through three games. Guentzel has two goals and two assists for Tampa Bay.

The Battle of Florida is living up to the billing as one of the most contentious rivalries in hockey; either Tampa or Florida has made it to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last five seasons.

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Jets’ Hellebuyck allows five goals, pulled again

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Jets' Hellebuyck allows five goals, pulled again

ST. LOUIS — Connor Hellebuyck, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner who is among the favorites to win the award again this season, allowed five goals before being pulled early in the third period as the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets fell to the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Sunday, evening their Western Conference first-round series at 2-2.

Hellebuyck has now been pulled in back-to-back games in St. Louis, during which he has allowed 11 goals and posted a paltry .744 save percentage. Eric Comrie made five saves in relief of Hellebuyck on Sunday, but the game had long been decided by that point.

His performances have not only energized the Blues, the No. 8 seed who lost the first two games of this series, but their fans, as well. In the third period Sunday, the St. Louis faithful chanted, “We want Connor” as he sat on the Jets’ bench.

Brayden Schenn, Tyler Tucker and Justin Faulk each scored second-period goals to give the Blues a 4-1 lead, and Robert Thomas scored 2:01 into the third, ending Hellebuyck’s day.

Across the ice, St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington, who defeated Hellebuyck in the 4 Nations Face-Off final in February when Canada outlasted Team USA, made 30 saves in the win. The Blues have now won 14 straight regular-season and playoff games at home dating back to Feb. 23.

“The last 10 minutes, we gave up three goals,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said of the second period. “Those are coverage goals, and those are situations that we usually handle pretty well. They are finding ways to get that puck in the net.”

Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, staking the road team to a 1-0 lead, but the powerful Winnipeg offense that helped the club win the Presidents’ Trophy was never heard from again.

“This is obviously not what we wanted,” Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele said. “But it’s a best two-of-three series now.”

Hellebuyck has been pulled in consecutive games only one other time in his career, and given the Jets lost in Round 1 last season to the Colorado Avalanche, the Winnipeg goaltending situation figures to be a storyline the rest of this series.

“At the end of the day, you know what, they took advantage of home ice,” Arniel said of the Blues. “We’ve put ourselves in this position. And our best players have to be better than their best players.”

The Jets and Blues return to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Williams out as Yanks’ closer; Weaver to get a shot

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Williams out as Yanks' closer; Weaver to get a shot

NEW YORK — Devin Williams has been removed from his role as New York Yankees closer “for right now,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday.

The move comes two days after Williams endured another rough outing and was booed off the mound at Yankee Stadium in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old right-hander has a 11.25 ERA with career-worst marks in strikeout rate (18.2%), whiff rate (24.1%) and walk rate (15.9%) in eight innings across 10 appearances this season.

“He’s still got everything to be great, right? This is a guy that is in the prime of his career and he’s just going through it a little bit,” said Boone, who informed Williams of the decision Saturday. “I tell our players all the time, you make a career that’s long enough and you’re going to face some challenging moments. You’re going to face some adversity along the way. And good news for Devin is he’s got everything to get through this and come out better on the other side. And that’s my expectation.

“But, for right now, I think it’s best for everyone that we pull him out of that role and try and start building some good rhythm and confidence and momentum and fully expect him to be a central figure for us moving forward.”

Boone said setup man Luke Weaver, who has a 0.00 ERA in 13 innings pitched this season, will assume “a lot of” the team’s save opportunities. Boone maintained he is open to using Weaver in high-leverage spots earlier in games and other relievers to close.

As for Williams, Boone said he won’t have a specific role — whether pitching in low-leverage situations or tight spots just earlier in games — as he seeks to re-establish himself for a team with the ninth-best bullpen ERA in the majors despite his struggles.

The key will be for Williams to avoid falling behind in counts as he did against the three hitters he faced Friday, leading to the home crowd again showering him with loud boos while adding a “We want Weaver!” chant.

Williams wound up surrendering two runs on three hits without recording an out to blow the save and continue his alarming troubles.

The Yankees hope his changeup-fastball mix will baffle hitters again and allow him to return to the pitcher he has been for his entire career.

“Count leverage is a big thing for pitchers, understandably, as it is for hitters,” Boone said. “And I think he’s been behind a number of times. He’s also had it not bounce his way in a number of these games where it’s gotten away.

“But I think the biggest thing for a guy as good as he is, as good as his track record is, and where he is from an age standpoint in the prime of his career, it’s just about, I think, man, having it start to click, getting in a good rhythm and then off we go.”

The Yankees acquired Williams in December to replace Clay Holmes as the club’s closer with one year of team control remaining before reaching free agency. The trade, which sent left-hander Nestor Cortes and prospect Corbin Durbin to Milwaukee, figured to cement the Yankees’ bullpen as one of the best in the majors.

Williams established himself as one of baseball’s premier relievers over six seasons with the Brewers using a singular screwball-like changeup known as “The Airbender.” The right-hander posted a 1.83 ERA with a 39.4% across 241 appearances in Milwaukee. He won the 2020 National League Rookie of the Year Award as a setup man for Josh Hader and made two All-Star teams. His status was undisputed.

But Williams’ Yankees tenure has been turbulent from start. After emerging as the catalyst to have the Yankees’ decades-long no-beard policy changed during spring training, he was booed at Yankee Stadium during his sloppy debut on Opening Day against his former club.

Boone acknowledged the fans’ treatment could have an impact on Williams’ performance.

“I think there’s that adjustment,” Boone said. “Devin’s really been nothing but successful at the big-league level. He’s dominated. So, that’s all part of it. That’s what I talk to these guys all the time about is like, again, you’re going to go through a tough moment. When I came here in 2003 at the trade deadline, Mariano Rivera was getting booed in August. I couldn’t believe it. And then he’s still Mariano Rivera, recoups and goes on to do what he does.

“So, I’m sure there’s some shock to that and some … getting settled. He’s with a new team in a new environment. That’s all part of it. But my reminder to him is you have all the equipment to do this at an elite level and that’s still a reality.”

In other developments, Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year Award winner, started his throwing program Sunday. He has been sidelined since Feb. 28 because of a high-grade lat strain, is on the 60-day injured list and is projected to return in June at the earliest.

Also, right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga, who is returning from internal brace elbow surgery, started his rehab assignment for Class A Tampa on Saturday and threw 11 pitches with one strikeout in a clean inning. He could rejoin the Yankees as early as late May.

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